Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jun 2002
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2002 News World Communications, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Andy Olsen

POLICE SCHOOL FOR AMERICAS CONSIDERED

New Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco said yesterday that his country, 
which has no army and has experienced nearly half a century of peace, may 
become the site of a U.S.-supported international police academy.

In an interview, Mr. Pacheco said he spoke with President Bush at the White 
House on Thursday about opening the police school in Costa Rica.

It would train officers from throughout North and South America to handle 
"modern" threats, Mr. Pacheco said.

"The police will learn management of very modern crime circumstances for 
which our traditional police aren't prepared," Mr. Pacheco said in Spanish.

The West Virginia-sized country -- known by locals as the "Switzerland of 
Central America" -- was chosen because of its central location and peaceful 
history, according to Costa Rican Ambassador Jaime Daremblum.

Officers would train to face such problems as terrorism, drug trafficking, 
domestic violence and kidnapping. The project would be a joint venture 
within the Americas to promote better law enforcement.

Costa Rica's legislative assembly must approve the plans before work on the 
police school begins.

"We believe globalization has to start with the globalization of justice," 
Mr. Pacheco said. "We can't talk about the globalization of commerce 
without talking about what happens to the people."

Mr. Pacheco, who took office last month, also spoke of Costa Rica's 
concerns about access to the U.S. market.

He discussed with Mr. Bush a Central America Free Trade Agreement, which 
would open U.S. markets to small businesses in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, 
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

"The president was very emphatic in saying, 'This is going to happen,'" Mr. 
Pacheco said.

The five Central American countries recently began negotiations as a bloc 
with the United States to find new outlets for crafts, textiles and food 
made by thousands of workers in small home industries, Mr. Pacheco said.

For the first time, democratically elected presidents lead all five nations.

Improving the scene for agricultural trade, however, will be more difficult 
because Costa Rica fears that cheap American rice will drive its own 
farmers out of business.

"I do not think the state will be eager to accept agricultural products in 
Costa Rica," Mr. Pacheco said. "We are an agricultural country."

The U.S. Congress will begin looking at the proposed Central American trade 
zone as soon as it completes a U.S.-Chilean trade agreement, which may be 
as soon as August, Mr. Daremblum said.

Critics of the trade agreement, which Mr. Bush proposed in January, say the 
Central American nations have not settled their economic differences to 
come together as a single negotiating unit with appointed leadership, as 
the European Union has. That may hinder Central America's biggest exports 
- -- agriculture and textiles -- from entering U.S. markets..
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom